The English Mistake
by aLadyofAtlantis
Summary: What would have happened if Balthazar had sent Dean and Sam back in time to Camelot instead of an alternate reality in 'The French Mistake' (6.15)? Probably something a little like this. AU Supernatural 6.15, Merlin between 4.03 and 4.04.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Supernatural or of Merlin, unfortunately. How I wish I did.**

**Author's Note: This is meant to take place instead of 6.15 The French Mistake, and somewhere between 4.03 The Wicked Day and 4.04 Aithusa, so Arthur's just become King. **

**Thank you for reading, and enjoy!**

"Dollophead!"

Dean scrambled off of the slight, dark-haired boy who he had landed on. The boy gave him quite a nasty look before pinching his wet shirt (presumably soaked by the water from the now empty bucket next to them) and drawing it away from his body.

"Can't oafs like you watch where you're going?" The dark haired boy stooped and grabbed the empty bucket, glancing into it before turning his arms up into the air in a show of annoyance. "Now look, I'll have to fetch more water. You're to blame if the King asks why I was delayed." The vibrantly blue-eyed young man wagged a slim finger very close to Dean's face before spinning on his heel and stomping off.

Dean took a moment, blinking repeatedly before he glanced down at his clothes, which were considerably wet as well. In glancing at his clothes, he caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye at a tall figure on the ground, who he immediately rushed over to.

"Sam!" Dean rolled over his brother's limp figure, whose head was a bit bloody, but the wound appeared superficial. Within moments, Sam blinked open his eyes in a daze.

"Dean? What happened?"

Dean helped his younger brother into a sitting position before attempting to explain. "Remember, Balthazar sent us through the window with the key? We ended up here, I guess."

"Right." Sam leaned away from his brother and stood up on his own, taking a glance around where they had ended up. "And where is here, exactly?"

Dean didn't have an answer. Peering around him, he was utterly confused as to where Balthazar had sent them. They seemed to be in the middle of a very old-fashioned town square- cobblestones and all- framed on one side by stalls and small huts, and on the other side by…

"Is that a castle?" Dean just shook his head in awe at his brother's exclamation, because they were, in fact, staring up at a very grand castle.

Dean licked his lips nervously. "Looks like it."

The boys stood there, in the town square, just looking around for a while, not sure of anything, really, until the sound of several hooves caused the brothers to turn around.

"Oi! You two! Don't just stand around! Make way!" Dean pulled Sam out of the way as several gallantly-dressed men in chainmail bounded past on horses.

"Were those knights?" Sam asked his brother once the sound of the horses had faded.

Dean looked nervously in the direction the knights had gone. "You don't suppose Balthazar sent us back in time?" He looked at Sam, pleading for the taller man to assure him, that no, they hadn't been sent back in time to medieval Europe.

Sam ran a hand through his hair, drawing it back to look at the blood now stained on his palm. He glanced over a Dean with a grim expression. "I have no idea. So I guess we'd better find some answers then." He looked determinedly at the looming castle, marching towards it with the intent of finding some answers.

* * *

Dean had no qualms at watching the lady-maids and the serving girls as they passed him by, for if they were stuck in the middle ages, he was going to make the most of it. After all, they were doing Balthazar a favor.

But it was a very tall stack of ornate sheets that caught Dean's eye, and although he could not see the woman carrying the sheets, he moved over to her, gently lifting a part of the burden so he could see her face.

"Can I help you with those?" He smiled, and he knew his brother was rolling his eyes behind him.

The woman looked flustered, but nodded meekly. "Yes, thank you."

Dean followed her not far to a very lovely bedroom, where she laid her sheets in a cupboard before taking the ones from him and adding them as well.

"So, I suppose you two are part of King Aeolus' company, from the east?" The dark-haired woman bowed her head and clasped her weary hands neatly in front of her pale lavender dress.

Sam and Dean exchanged a glance before Sam answered unconvincingly. "Ah, yes."

The woman's smile brightened. "I'm Gwen." Her smile faltered as she glanced at their clothing. "Oh, I did hear those in the east dressed peculiarly, but…"

Her expression turned to alarm as she saw the confusion on Dean and Sam's faces. "Oh! I'm so sorry, that wasn't my place to speak!" She began to mutter into the folds of her dress, until Sam reached out a hand and gently tapped her shoulder.

"No, no, it's fine. We would love to dress in the same manner as you do here." Gwen looked up, much happier, until she noticed the blood dripping from his forehead.

"Oh! Your head! We should have Gaius look at it!" She gently traced his cheek below the injury.

"No, no. I'm really fine." Sam disengaged himself from her grasp and began to walk back towards his brother.

"No, really, Gaius won't mind! He's the best court physician in Camelot, and perhaps in all the surrounding area as well!" Gwen's voice was pleading, clearly trying to make up for her slip about the clothing moments earlier.

Dean watched as his brother's expression drastically changed, but it didn't seem to be the reason for the change in his own expression. "Alright, if he won't mind." Sam began following Gwen out of the room until Dean pulled him back.

"Dude, Camelot! What the hell?"

Sam rolled his eyes. Balthazar did love his fun and games.

"And why do you want to go see the court physician? We need to figure out what's going on." Dean's expression was more than a little confused.

"Exactly why we go see the court physician." Sam walked out of the room, striding fast to catch up to where Gwen was fast disappearing around the corner. Dean jogged a bit to catch up to him, still not following his brother's logic. Sam, seeing this, amended his statement. "Look. The court physician knows a lot about the goings on in these sort of places, and he should be the easiest to get any information out of."

"Ah." Dean nodded, finally beginning to understand. By the time he had sorted things out in his slightly slow brain, however, his brother had caught up to Gwen, and the pair had disappeared into the next long corridor of the vast castle.

For a castle of this size, it took a surprisingly little amount of time before Gwen had halted at a shabby wooden door with a shy smile. "Here we are, Gaius' apothecary and room." She gently swung the door open, and both Dean and Sam had to duck to make it through the rather short doorway.

"Gaius, I've brought two of the men from King Aeolus' company. One's injured." Gwen spoke nervously to the old man facing away from her and the Winchester brothers.

The man turned around, and Dean and Sam were surprised to see a very confident and also judgmental expression on his face. His white hair lightly brushed his shoulders, and his fingers looked feeble, and he may not have walked with a straight back, but both Winchester brothers were reminded of Bobby.

"Thank you, Guinevere. I'll fix them up right away." Gwen began to bow out of the room until Gaius spoke again. "Also, if you see Merlin, could you tell him to come down here? Can't imagine what that boy's up to." Gaius shook his head unapprovingly before turning to a workbench and fetching various materials.

Dean and Sam watched awkwardly as the physician stirred and mixed, poked and prodded what he was doing, careful not to interrupt him. At last, when he seemed satisfied with the product, he poured it into a vial and placed it into a storage cabinet.

"Sorry, what is that?" Dean's expression could best be described as a mix between confusion and disbelief.

Gaius briefly glanced at the tall hunter before looking back at the vial he had just stored. "A simple salve, for soothing nerves. The King really is need of some."

"So you spent these last few minutes making an irrelevant salve while he's standing here with a bleeding head?" Dean motioned angrily towards his brother, who looked slightly put off as well.

Gaius looked at the brothers with a candid expression they had only ever seen on Bobby and Gabriel. "It's a superficial wound, as you well know, and from the way he's not rolling around screaming, I think he's seen much like this before. Waiting a few minutes will do you no harm." When neither brother answered, Gaius pursed his lips and waved Sam over to him.

"Fine, let me have a look." Sam hesitantly sat at a bench Gaius waved him to, and Dean watched as Gaius gently cleaned and sanitized the wound.

After Gaius had gotten most of the blood off, but before he had finished fixing Sam up, Dean decided to bravely venture a question about what he had heard transpire between Gaius and Gwen earlier.

"So, that lady-maid, her name was Guinevere?"

Gaius looked at Dean in an expression Bobby liked to call 'idjit'. "Yes."

Dean shifted his eye contact to seem more casual. "And you asked her to look for someone named Merlin?"

Sam made eye contact with Dean. He knew what his brother was thinking. If this was really Camelot, then those two people mentioned must be the Queen Guinevere and the great wizard Merlin.

Gaius' arched eyebrow grew, if possible, closer to his forehead. "That's right. Merlin is my assistant and the King's servant." The physician remained tight-lipped as he continued to finish dressing Sam's wound, not ready to reveal unnecessary information.

"Right, then. All done." Gaius gave Sam's shoulder a gentle pat, then turned away, back to his herbs.

"Thanks." Sam gingerly touched his head, but continued to stand there, he and Dean watching Gaius, who was completely ignoring them.

Finally, Gaius turned when he noticed they hadn't left. "Still here? Haven't you got other things to do?"

Dean was going to offer a weak answer when the door to the room banged open, and a figure in brown and red blew by him to his left.

"'Lo, Gaius." The boy dropped a satchel on the workbench next to Gaius.

"Merlin!" Gaius spun around as the youth continued to run around like a whirlwind. "Where've you been? The tavern? I hope you've gotten the lavender and yarrow."

The boy didn't answer, grabbing a thick, leather bound book and flipping through the pages as he walked back to Gaius. Gaius rolled his eyes, but when the youth finally looked up at the Winchester boys, Dean's eyebrows shot up so high on his head that he almost had to push them down.

"You!" The boy slammed the book and stared accusingly at Dean. "You ran into me in the courtyard! And I'll have you know the King was not pleased to have his bath water brought to him late!"

Dean actually took a step back from the boy. So this was Merlin. The greatest supposed wizard in all of history was a slim young man servant to the King, assistant to the court physician, with messy hair. He had to laugh, which seemed to make the youth madder. His face screwed up unpleasantly, and Dean suppressed his chuckles as the facial expression sparked in him an image he associated more accurately with the great wizard Merlin.

"Merlin, these are part of King Aeolus' escort from the East." Gaius said, his voice laced with warning.

Merlin just clenched his jaw, and screwed his nose up one more time before spinning on his heel and running up a short bit of steps to another room, where he slammed the door.

Dean and Sam exchanged a furtive glance, but said nothing. So perhaps the great wizard was still experiencing a hint of puberty. Gaius continued to stir and attend his potions, until he had finished and corked another vial of bubbling liquid.

"Well, then, no more games." The old man walked up to the brothers and looked each squarely in the face. "Who are you, really? I've been to the East- they don't dress like that. And you are quite interested in Gwen and Merlin, more than two should be about a lady-maid and a servant. So I ask you again, who are you?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Wow, I'm sorry for not updating in a while... school just started up again and I've been busy adjusting. Hopefully I'll try to do a chapter a week, or more.**

**In response to yaoikaylor, no, this is not meant to be a slash fic. Not Wincest, or Merthur, or anything. Sorry if that is was you were looking for, but this is meant to be mostly adventure. There may, however, be a few Gwen and Arthur moments, because that is what is going on in Merlin season four. Also, there will be another important character showing up later, but he won't be part of any slash either. Sorry.**

**Anyways, thanks for sticking with this even though the first chapter didn't give much of a direction. I've got an arc idea, but I need to do a bit of mythology research first, so there will be some other things that lead up to the main story.**

**As always, enjoy! **

As Gaius continued to closely observe the brothers, each scrambled for an appropriate answer.

"We're travelling peasants." Dean said, while at the same time Sam came up with his own excuse.

"We're lowly servants, sent ahead of the escort." When the brothers realized what they had said, and how it had contradicted, they looked sheepishly into the face of Gaius, who was less than pleased.

"I've seen quite a lot of strange in my life, boys." Gaius sighed and stepped back from the duo, as he had noticed he was making them uncomfortable. "Whatever you have to say probably wouldn't faze me."

Dean and Sam exchanged a brief conversation in facial expressions, where Dean hinted they keep their mouths shut, but Sam was all for telling the man who reminded him of Bobby.

"We're from the future." Sam blurted, wincing in anticipation for Gaius' response.

The old man's face remained unchanged.

Sam and Dean exchanged more glances, but weren't sure what else to say.

"Go on, then." Gaius continued to look at them simply and expectantly, so Sam continued.

"We were sent back in time from the year 2011 by an angel." Sam cleared his throat, deciding to not reveal more than that. "But we don't mean any trouble, we'll just be here a few days and then leave." He held his arms up in a pacifying gesture. He had decided Gaius was not one you wanted against you.

Gaius frowned thoughtfully before turning back to his table and plunking himself down in front of an old, leather-bound book. "Be sure you're telling the truth then. Seeing as Merlin's destiny seems to precede him, it would be wise to stay on the right side of things." The old man threw them a brief, but lingering, glance, before turning away from them, slipping on his glasses and pressing his face close to the pages.

Right as if on cue, the door leading to the adjacent room swung open with a loud noise, and Merlin himself came stomping through the door, deliberately ignoring Gaius and the Winchesters as he exited the room.

The brothers looked at each other another time before waiting for Gaius to say something. When it seemed apparent that he had moved onto his book, Dean spoke up.

"Uh, so," he cleared his throat nervously. "Is that all? You're not surprised?"

Gaius turned, glasses perched on the edge of his nose, both eyebrows raised skeptically. "I told you, I've seen some strange things. Strange creatures, strange magic, strange people. A pair of time-traveling clods with an angel isn't that high on my list of 'very strange things'." Gaius was about to turn back to his book when he noticed the boys' faces.

"Alright." He flopped the book close with a cloud of dust and stood up. "You two seem fairly unterrible, so I'll help you out. As long as you'll be gone in a few days."

Dean and Sam nodded eagerly.

Gaius pursed his lips. "Right, then. Stay with the story of being from the east- the King hasn't seen any of them before. After I give you eastern clothing, go to the King and tell him you are King Aeolus' messengers, and that he will be here soon." He opened a closet and tossed several brightly colored fabrics at the two men.

"And for heaven's sake, don't go around telling just anyone that you're from the future. The King will see it as magic and have you executed." He continued to rummage through various papers before handing the seal of Aeolus to Sam.

"You're joking, right? The King's own servant is a magician!" Dean made a disbelieving sound somewhere between a smirk and a snort.

The saying that if you keep your face in one position too long must have been true, because Gaius seemed to keep his eyebrow raised quite often. "I am not 'joking', as you call it. Magic is outlawed in Camelot, and what the King doesn't know about his servant won't kill him. Merlin has saved his life more times than he can count."

The trio stood in an uncomfortable silence for a few moments before Sam brushed a hand uncomfortably through his hair and waved at the door. "Right, well thanks, Gaius. We'll go find a spare bedroom to get changed in."

And with that, the brothers left Gaius with his bubbling potions, Dean exiting uncomfortably backwards, still not pleased with where and when Balthazar had chosen to send him and his brother.

* * *

"Dude, can you believe these outfits? This has to be the most color I've ever worn in my life." Dean gestured to his colorful and ornate tunic, then at the similar one Sam wore.

Sam rolled his eyes. For all that he and his brother had been through, he made an awfully big deal out of what motel they stayed in or what tunic they wore in Camelot.

Dean quickened his pace to fall in line with brother, switching to a more serious subject. "So we've got a pubescent wizard Merlin, a shy Queen Guinevere, and an apparently bossy King Arthur. Why did Balthazar send us here?"

Of course the short answer was that Balthazar was messing with the brothers, but while the angel was a strange one, Sam suspected he had an ulterior motive. "We know he wants to protect the key, right?" He gently fingered the single key in his pocket. "He probably figured sending us back in time would make it that much harder to find us, if someone wanted to."

"Including him." Dean grunted. Angels and time-travel were tricky things, and he really did not want to be stuck in Camelot for longer than necessary.

Sam sighed in agreement, but at that moment they had reached the doors to the great hall, and a much more exciting conversation seemed to be happening inside.

"Merlin, you idiot!" Sam and Dean ducked as a knife flew above their heads and impaled the thick wooden doors they had just come through. "Where have you been? Not in the tavern, I hope?" The blonde-haired knight sitting at the head of a long table sighed in exasperation. "My father's just died, and King Aeolus will be here soon. I don't have time for late bathwater and a servant who only shows up to bathe me before disappearing again!"

The dark-haired young man in front of the brothers muttered something under his breath, only loud enough for the Winchesters behind him to hear. "Well, I'm so sorry, my lord, I've been busy saving your bathed ass from a ghost."

"What did you say, Merlin?" The blonde King scrunched his nose at the other end of the table. Then, he seemed to notice the tall strangers behind his manservant.

"Hello, can I help you?" He waved a dismissive hand at Merlin, who wasted no time scurrying out of the hall. Once the wizard had left, the King continued. "Sorry for the knife, my servant often needs incentive."

The brothers glanced at each other, and then back at the sharp blade in the doors behind them, swallowing hard. "We understand, your Majesty. We only wanted to let you know that we are King Aeolus' messengers from the east and that he will be here soon." Sam swallowed again, nervously.

Arthur twisted a knife in the table beside him unhappily, only perking up at the mention of the other King's name. "Yes, thank you…"

"Sam and Dean." Dean spoke up, clasping his hands behind his back in the most military manner.

"Sam and Dean." The King finished his sentence. "I hope you enjoy your stay in Camelot." He pursed his lips and returned to a piece of parchment on the table, which the Winchesters took as their cue to leave.

"Uh, wow?" Dean said as soon as they had made it out of the hall and out of hearing distance.

Sam nodded, understanding what his brother was getting at. King Arthur seemed to have his head stuck mighty far up his bathed ass.

Thinking of that, Sam turned to his brother. "Did you hear what Merlin said? About a ghost?"

Dean straightened, with a nod. "You think it was a real ghost?"

"Worth checking out, isn't it?" Sam said as they turned the corner, where they both made out a familiar brown-wearing, dark-haired young man turning the corner ahead of them.

"Oi! Merlin!" Dean called out, but when they received no response, the brothers spared the other a glanced before taking off running, weaving amongst the servants and lady-maids.

When the brothers finally caught up to Merlin, he was reasonably alone, walking abruptly down a fairly deserted corridor.

"Merlin!" Sam huffed, slowing down and reaching for the boy's shoulder. When Merlin turned and saw who it was, he rolled his eyes and continued on.

"Hey!" Dean shouted indignantly. "We're trying to help!"

Merlin spun around, almost frothing at the mouth. "Oh yeah? I heard what you said to Gaius, about being from the future and knowing angels. Running around knocking servants over and pretending to be from the east. You can help by leaving me alone."

Sam and Dean each grabbed an arm of the lad and spun him around. "Listen, you asshat. We've seen a lot in the future. Supernatural things. We stopped an apocalypse. We've dealt with demons, angels, and you guessed it, ghosts. So when we say we can help, we can." Dean was so close to the wizard's face that he almost spat in it.

The brothers relaxed their grips and Merlin straightened his jacket, but he seemed a little less eager to scramble away from them.

"You've seen ghosts?" His expression echoed Gaius' perpetually skeptical one.

Sam snorted. "Have we? Yes, lots. The question is, have you?"

"Did it feel cold? Could the apparition move stuff around?" Dean leaned forwards.

Merlin furrowed his brow for a moment before answering. "Definitely cold. And some stuff moved, yes. And I was able to get rid of it with a bit of iron, but it kept coming back!"

Dean and Sam looked at each other knowingly. Sounded like a ghost alright. Luckily Merlin was at least clever enough to find a way to ward it off, if only temporarily.

"Okay, here's what you do. Figure out who the ghost is, find the grave, and dig up the bones. Then salt and burn them." Dean ran a hand across his face. He hadn't really been expecting supernatural business in Camelot, but why not?

Merlin screwed his face up into an expression he most often used when cleaning Arthur's boots after a long hike through mud. "Burn the bones? Dig up the grave?"

"Look, we'll help you. We've done it a lot before, and it is the best way to deal with a ghost. We'll meet you outside of Gaius' room tonight. Bring salt." Sam tried to sound reassuring, but Merlin looked far from reassured.

Seeing his uncomfortable expression, Sam tried to explain a bit more. "See, what happens is that person dies and they don't move on, choosing to stay as a ghost. Eventually, no matter their intentions, they go a little crazy and start hurting people, or maybe hurling things at them. They need to be put to rest, which is done easiest by salting and burning the bones. Salt and iron should keep it away, if you see it before then."

Merlin nodded, a little less confused, before turning around and heading off. Sam and Dean stuck their hands into their tunic pockets as the youth began making his way down the hallway towards Gaius' room, before Sam thought of something he wanted to say.

"Hey, Merlin?" The boy turned around, still looking a bit shocked. "I know you probably feel like a freak, but trust me, you're something special. And one day Arthur will realize that, even if he doesn't treat you so great now." Merlin nodded appreciatively before continuing on.

"And thanks for not using any of your wizard mojo on us!" Dean called as the wizard disappeared around the corner. Sam looked at him disapprovingly.

"What?" Dean asked, defensively, but Sam had already done his eye rolling and had headed back in the direction they had come.


End file.
